Fat scanner

We depend so heavily on what the scales say but true health is more that skin deep.

35 year old Kylie Neatherwood was relatively happy with her weight and the way she looked. "I just wanted a base line to kick off my health regime; I wasn't expecting the results that I actually got"

Her surprise was the result of a simple test which measured how much internal fat she was carrying, "the results for me were quite shocking, saying I had 40% of my weight contained of fat, that doesn't make me feel very good"

"I think I'd be in reasonably healthy shape, I go to the gym four or five times a week and don't eat too badly" 25 year old Ed Bruce also thought he had nothing to worry about but he too made a shocking discovery after he also underwent the five minute body composition scan on the inside was a different person. "I was just into the obese range that was a bit of a shock"

It's the world's most advanced scanning technology that's able to assess what the eye and a body mass index can't. The dual energy x ray absorptiometry or dexa machine has only been available in Adelaide for just three months and according to radiologist Ben Wigmore it's already changing people's lives. "Some people look in the mirror and step on the scales and think they're fine but I've seen plenty of cases where that's not the case, where there percentages have been quite high and they needed intervention quickly otherwise they were heading down to wrong path"

The detailed scan shows exactly where a person is storing unhealthy fat. Exercise physiologist Tatum Gould says although the results may be confronting they're easy to turn around with a few lifestyle changes. "we can look at them in detail find out where they might be in based on your image and where you are storing your fat and what other health goals you might have and looking to improve muscle tone or bulk in any specific areas"

Kylie cooper has lost 8 kilos since her first scan three months ago and it's already made a difference. "The second scan that I had has shown the visceral fat has significantly reduced which is a positive thing so I'm leading a healthy life style"

The cost of a scan starts at $89 but for those who've done it its money well spent.